Dabolim and TAIP - 5

A tale of a Goan Airport and Airline

Gabriel de Figueiredo

continued from >>>>4

According to news reports of Feb 2004, the Goa Govt. concurs with the view that the Defence Forces have illegally occupied the State's lone airport; but New Delhi says that the ownership of the airport is with the Navy and no proposal or representation has been received from Panjim to hand over the airport to civilian authorities, in a reply to Rajya Sabha question posed by Eduardo Faleiro, Goa's representative, on 23^rd December 2003.

The intimidating attitudes from the Indian Navy has stifled development of the Dabolim airport to be a truly international airport, with limits imposed as to the times when civilian aircraft could use the airport to narrow "windows" during the day, blocking off most daylight hours 4 days out of 7.   

The Naval attitudes have also caused a German charter company, Condor, to discontinue its whole program in 1996, when a Condor flight from Germany was repeatedly refused permission to land at Dabolim just because of some training flights were under way.  The Naval Commander at Dabolim at the time, should have realised that these charter flights are planned months in advance, and that a flight that was nearly at the end of its fuel-carrying capacity could not simply be diverted to Bombay on a "whim".   Furthermore, its passengers, who had accomodation already arranged in Goa, could not be expected to make alternative arrangements on the spot and then catch another flight to Goa "at a time convenient to the Navy". 

There have been cases reported of local fishermen at Bimbvel, a beach adjacent to INS HANSA, being harassed for over a decade and having been told to keep clear of the beach as it was "reserved" for the naval officers and their families!  This, in spite of Court orders allowing them free access.  According to Damaciano Dourado, a local fisherman, the Naval authorities have already privatised the beach, to have their picnics and outings, going as far as beating up civilians who try to go to the public beach and whisking them away.   

Besides, the island of Anjediva (Anjadip) has been unofficially given to the Indian Navy by a Goan Govt. (during the tenure of Pratapsingh Rane), without compensation.  One can easily visualise some Naval "arm-twisting" of the State Govt. in this move.  If this was not enough for the Indian Navy to give up Dabolim in exchange, I wonder what will ever be.  

Conclusions:

Prior to December 1961, Dabolim airport was always a civilian airport.  It was constructed by the Portuguese Govt. to serve the people of Goa and to contribute towards Goa's progress.  Dabolim was never utilised by the Portuguese Govt. for military purposes.  No aircraft of the FAP (Força Aérea Portuguesa – Portuguese Air Force) were ever stationed at Dabolim.   

Goa, it appears, is still considered as "spoils-of-war" as far as New Delhi and the Armed Forces are concerned.   Regardless of this attitude, the Goa Govt. must take charge of the situation and insist with New Delhi that Dabolim revert back to its original status as a civilian airport, with an option for the Navy and the Coast Guard to use it when required.  

The following question from Matanhy Saldanha appears to be futile in view of the Indian Navy's muscle flexing: "Why is the Congress not opposing the construction of another airport at Mopa when Dabolim airport is a civilian airport?  Why can’t the Congress demand the shifting of the Naval enclave to the Sea Bird base, which is the biggest Naval base in Asia?" 

Another question that needs be asked is: "What are the threat perceptions, which make the continuation of the Indian Navy at Dabolim and expansion in a southerly direction to Seabird, imperative?"

Bibliography:

1.      Lecture delivered by Major-General Flight Pilot (Retd.) José Krus Abecasis on 23rd March 2002  in the Society of Geography of Lisbon.

2.      Alfredo de Mello (re Carlos Beck).

3.      http://www.terravista.pt/mussulo/1961/taip.html

4.      http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1960s/Goa/

5.      http://indiannavynic.in/Tr2Trmph/chapters/17_air_arm1.htm

6.      Miami Herald of 19th Dec 1961 (as reported by Bonnie Lubega)

7.      http://historiaeciencia.weblog.com.pt/arquivo/049503.html

8.      Francisco Monteiro

9.      http://aviation-safety.net/database/1957/571102-1.htm

10.  http://www.goanews.com

11.  http://www.warbirdsofindia.com/wbgoa.html

12.  http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_431.shtml

13.  http://164.100.24.167/dailyques/200/uq23122003.pdf

14.  Photographs of the following two identified TAIP aircraft published with permission of the AJ Jackson collection  http://www.ajjcollection.co.uk/
CR-IAC Vickers Viking TAIP/ex G-AHPP 1
CR-IAD Vickers Viking TAIP/ex G-AIVB 1

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to the following people and organisations, without which this document would have been incomplete:

- Jorge Abreu Noronha: for translating the terms used in the Portuguese Government departments as well as revising the document

- Francisco Monteiro:  for the photographs of Dabolim Airport in 1958, in 1959, and that of the TAP Super Constellation; for the insight into the details of the construction of the Dabolim airport; and sending me the minutes of the lecture by Major-General Flight Pilot (Retd.) José Krus Abecasis

- Alfredo de Mello: for keeping me informed periodically of events that took place in his youth

- Roger Jackson: of "The A J Collection" of Essex, England, for the photos of CR-IAC and CR-IAD (see http://www.ajjcollection.co.uk )

- Dr. José Colaço:  for kindly publishing this article on his website.

Permission to publish notes and photographs has been sought from:

- Bharat Rakshak - photograph of the Diu ATC destroyed by the IAF as well as excerpts from its site http://www.bharat-rakshak.com

- The helpdesk at terravista, as http://www.terravista.pt/mussulo/1961/taip.html appears no longer to be active on the web - the photographs of the Damão and Diu terminals of 1957and that of the Viking aircraft maintenance as well as substantial information regarding TAIP.

Gabriel de Figueiredo
Melbourne, Australia
March 28, 2005
 

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